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In this upcoming month, we have Mother’s Day to look forward to and a celebration of all the women in our life. For tech-savvy Moms, check out our photo feature of cool gadgets for women.

This is a great time to appreciate the people around you and spend time with loved ones — and if you’re looking for ideas of what to do, we’ve got you covered with a list of activities happening around the city this month.

We’ve also included the latest market trends and developments in the real estate world, to enlighten and inform you of all that is going on.

They say the best things in life are free and, while that’s definitely true, carrying a load of debt can make those things less pleasant. We talked to a credit advisor and have some advice on how to improve and protect your credit score.

That score will come in handy when getting a mortgage, once you find the perfect house. And if you’re still looking for the perfect home? Please feel free to reach out and I will gladly help you in your search.

Unique opportunity to own a side by side Duplex with 3 independent rental suites and amazing re-development potential. This property is located in the heart of Westgate across from Westgate Elementary School. This convenient location is a short walk to 45th St LRT Station & just minutes drive to downtown, Westbrook Shopping Mall, & Shaganappi Golf Course. Suite 1 & 2 - 127 Westminster Dr SW half duplex contains main floor & illegal basement suite with shared laundry. Suite 3 - 129 Westminster Dr SW half duplex is kept as one unit with its own laundry. Each unit has its own fenced yard. The double detached garage is shared between tenants. This property has been well maintained with all major and minor upgrades up to date.

Missing a couple of payments on a credit card can dramatically drop your score, even after years of consistently meeting payment deadlines.

Your credit report tracks your spending history for the past six years and a bad credit (FICO score) makes it nearly impossible to get financing for a home, car, credit card or even cell phone.

So if, for whatever reason, your score has plummeted — there are a few things you can do to repair it.

1. Know your score Finding out your credit score and history is the first step to knowing what went wrong and how to fix it.

You can get a copy from two main credit bureaus in Canada: Equifax (the most highly recognized) and Trans Union. If you send it in by mail, you can receive a copy for free or you can pay for a digital version for the benefit getting it faster.

2. Review your history Make sure that there are no errors. It’s not likely but not impossible either.

Check that no late payments have been erroneously added to your account, all the charges made are accurate and that your payments went through correctly.

3. Start making payments This may be easier said than done but it really is the key to improving your credit score.

Set up a reminder schedule and make sure you are paying off your debt bit by bit each month — and on time. If you want, you can set up payment reminders or automatic withdrawals.

The general rule is to keep debt within 65% of your credit limit. When it comes to paying off debt, start with the one with the highest interest rate first.

It may seem overwhelming but, chunk by chunk, it is possible to pay off debt if you stay consistent with it.

4. Avoid more debt Be aware of the credit limit on your card and don’t go over that limit. Also keep in mind that having too many credit cards, especially newly open accounts, can also negatively impact your rating.

5. Pay off debt as soon as possible Although it seems strange to go into debt to pay off debt, and contrary to the previous step, sometimes taking out a loan or borrowing money is the best way to save your credit score.

Balance what the interest looks like, how quickly you can pay it off and whether a loan will ease your credit history.

Sometimes, borrowing money with a low interest rate can help pay off high-interest credit card debt. Repaying debt on a credit card will help speed repairs to your credit history.

6. Take the initiative Check your credit at least a few months before you need to make a big purchase or re-finance something so you have time to improve your score if needed. This will help give you the best interest rates when you most need them.

Lenders make a lot of their financing decisions by looking at your history. If you pay off debt the day before, you score and reputation is much less credible.

If you absolutely cannot make the minimum payment on your card, consider calling the lender and explaining the situation.

They may have advice or ways to help you; people often look favourably at those who reach out with honesty and initiative and are therefore more willing to help in return.

7. Protect your credit score If you have bad credit, don’t panic — it’s easy enough to repair it by paying off the highest interest rates first and being consistent with debt management.

If you have good credit, make sure you protect it — set up payment reminders and don’t fall into debt if you can avoid it.

Keep old accounts, even if you are not using them very often, and don’t open too many accounts too soon because the age of an account positively impacts your score. Use fraud alert services and be careful of who you give your information to in order to avoid identify theft.

Miki SOMOS

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